Fortunately analysis is not the only way to resolve inner conflicts. Life itself still remains a very effective therapist.

Who do We Fear?

Who runs our lives and who do we fear? Our outer life is our reputation with people, but our inner life is our reputation with God. Is our integrity based off of fearing what God will think or is it based on what people will think? Who do we allow to drive our life?

Fear: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

This is a struggle with me and always has been. In most area of my life I fear what others will think of me. What would my wife think? How would this look to our children? Or the fear that something I do makes me look like an idiot. I find it hard to think of how God views me and even harder to fear him. I tend to lead from a more passive standpoint “it’s easier to find people that WANT to work for you out of pure joy then out of fear” so when the question comes up, do I fear God? I have a hard time understanding and living that out in my life.

I can’t see our God wanting us to fear him; I know it says it in the bible to fear the Lord, but why fear? I could see respect or to have reverence or admiration for him as being the driving force behind the changes we make and need to make. If God is love why would he desire us to fear him?

1 John 4:18 – Perfect love expels fear. So how can we fear God while he expels all fear and if God himself is love? It seems a bit contradicting and confusing. I tend to lean a bit on logic when it comes to my faith and we all know how that turns out most of the time, so the dig continues.

I fear the consequences of my actions when it comes to the world and struggle to have the ability to fear God. How do we understand the depth of what our consequences are when it comes to our faith? I understand that the ultimate consequence is to be separated from God for eternity and that in itself is contradictory; He forgives us infinitely for the sin we commit. So then once we become saved how is it that we ever will be separated? If that is true then once we give our hearts to the lord nothing can separate us from his gift of salvation.

One day the answers we seek will be provided, until then the battle of faith continues!